Some parents—who, again, are not medically trained—elect to opt out of these vaccines, based on the hysteria caused by groups like Generation Rescue. The result? The worst whooping cough epidemic in five decades that has actually claimed the lives of infants.

The new report on the vaccine schedule from the Institute of Medicine (IOM), and sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), found that the schedule is not only totally safe, but important:

The committee’s efforts to identify priorities for recommended research studies did not reveal an evidence base suggesting that the childhood immunization schedule is linked to autoimmune diseases, asthma, hypersensitivity, seizures, child developmental disorders, learning disorders or developmental disorders, or attention deficit or disruptive behavior disorders.

[R]ather than exposing children to harm, following the complete childhood immunization schedule is strongly associated with reducing vaccine-preventable diseases.

Jenny McCarthy has not yet commented about this on her Twitter account. (But apparently she’ll be hanging out with Snooki soon.)

More: Vaccine Schedule for Babies Is Totally Safe, No Evidence It’s Linked to Any Developmental Disorders